Bougherville, South Carolina is a fishing town where you'll find Ace Barker, an infamous local foulmouthed salesman, spouting off and selling boats down at the Triple K Marine. But now a mysterious stranger has come to tow... more &raquon with an agenda of relentless harassment. The stranger is determined to play the cruelest, most torturous tricks to slowly drive Ace insane. Will watching Ace deteriorate be enough to satisfy his obsession? Noble Willingham gives a powerful performance as a man under attack, struggling to hold on to his vision of himself in this fascinating look at two tortured souls caught up in revenge and regret. Studio: Vanguard Cinema Release Date: 09/28/2004 Starring: Jim Holmes Run time: 83 minutes... A foul-mouthed and bigoted boat salesman in rural South Carolina is targeted for ruthless and never-ending telephone terrorism by a mysterious man claiming to be his son.&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Thus begins one of the harrassing phone messages delivered by a mystery caller to the manager of good 'ol boy boat lot "Triple K Marine".

Ace is a bigoted, confident southerner working hot days doing all he can to just sell more boats, just as any other salesman on hundreds of car lots across the country. He's shrewd, and crude as well, and confident in his ability to finagle anyone out of their cash.

Then one day, a mysterious problem develops. A goofily voiced caller starts to harrass Ace. Day after day. Often several times a day. His calls seem to be doing nothing more than agitating Ace, sending him into a torrent of curses or rude comments. Sometimes Ace just pleads with this guy to quit calling. But nothing works. This caller won't leave him alone, and Ace tries his damndest to try to live with it.

But soon the calls become personal. A certain phrase here, a familiar comment there. Ace starts to get paranoid because this caller seems to know him, and is apparently trying to provoke him, or get something out of him. But who, and what?

That is the core of this entire film. As I explained in my IMDB review, this movie was shunted upon me by my friend Pat, who has disappointed me with his movie choices on occasion. But this time, I quickly became engrossed in the story. What is at first an apparently endless series of pointless (though thoroughly amusing) prank calls eventually becomes a fascinating game of psychological torture.

Due to the amusing and interesting dialog, and the absolutely magnificent acting by all involved, I started to become anxious to see how this situation would end. I wanted to know who this caller was, and why he was doing this. By the end, I found out. And it was surprising. It went in a direction that was both emotional and unexpected, for reasons I wouldn't necessarily have guessed. The final shots are a bit ambiguous, but take nothing away from the impact that, at least to me, left a resonance of thought.

Altogether this was a movie that, although slow, was so well written and so well acted that it stands in a unique class of its own. Done with a seemingly minimal budget, but made with an obvious sheen of thought and intelligence, this is a movie worth reccommending to those who like psychology, cruel humor, or thought-provoking issues. If you can find the dvd, pick it up for more insight and a decent commentary- as well as the only time you ever fully see that mysterious caller."

"Did you get them britches I sent ya daddy?"

D. O'neil | 02/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great movie. Very funny. At 83 minutes it's over very quickly, but a fantastic find. If like your comedy dark and your endings unhappy, then this is the movie for you. Be warned though, Amazon said they had it in stock but it still took 3 weeks for me to get it, what gives?"

Them biscuits 'n gravy are BAD FER YER PUMPER!!!!

CrackerBarrel | Pensacola, Texas | 01/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ace Barker is a racist jerk. He is a self-centered redneck strangling in his own denial. He is also one of the most hilariously tragic figures I have ever encountered on DVD (or in the theater). Yeah,..I know,.."hilariously tragic" sounds like an oxymoron,...but,..well,..that's Ace Barker fer yah. You simultaneously (well at least I did) DELIGHT in his anguish AND sympathize with him as he slowly dissolves beneath the guilt-ridden baggage he's been dragging around for years. Prank-caller/"Un-aknowledged Son" Penrod torments him into submission BUT Ace doesn't go down easily. The result is a profanity-laced meltdown that will leave you both laughing hysterically and wanting to bludgeon Ace with a pool cue. SOMEHOW you'll feel a bit sympathetic for old Ace (his actions/responses are COMPLETELY unforgiveable but SURELY there must be SOME "good" hiding within his angry "cholesterol-ridden" thumper). Old habits die hard, however, and Ace eventually earns "his due". Bigotry and regret mixed with a healthy dose of introspection COMBINED with a chaser of prank phone calls = The Corndog Man. Noble Willingham (as Ace Barker) deserves an honorary Oscar/Emmy or AT LEAST a "gold plated corndog" for creating one of the most memorable characters I've ever witnessed on film/DVD. EXCELLENT STUFF (and a valuable lesson to be learned)!! pass the mustard,..TWO CORNDOGS UP!!!!!"

The perfect remedy for an awesomely itchy butt

J. Pieretti | Example: Rutger Haur Univ. | 09/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aside from the overall awesomeness of this movie, it has a very high awesomeness factor. So on a scale of one to awesome, it's awesome. whew! Some of the really great things about this movie are when Penrod keeps calling his dad, and then those guys take away Ace's staff and maybe he gets pappy-slapped with a fish that was meant for the police. Those were citations of glimpsefull awesome."

"gawd damm Ethiopian." Just try and find a bad Review a 5 +

Little Red | Left Blank | 04/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"

This dark psychological comedy leaves you with that sick feeling you get when caught laughing at the wrong things. It plays like one of the classic blues songs that so aptly fits with the film's wonderful soundtrack. This Sundance selection never escaped its independent roots into the mainstream of more popular firecracker hits. It serves as a reminder of how history is experienced from many perspectives and how our hatred in the end devours everyone involved. I have passed this film off to friends because it is one that you want to laugh about with them and that is exactly what happened. One of the many interesting aspects is that you never really get a good look at the Corndogman but we get detailed viewing to the vulnerable Ace Barker. They planned it that way : )